Taoism and Lao Tzu
This chapter/verse of the Tao Te Ching is probably one of the most famous in both Taoism and Eastern philosophy. Lao Tzu begins by saying:
“The Way gave birth to the One. The One gave birth to Two. The Two gave birth to the Three. And the Three gave birth to the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things carry Yin on their backs and wrap their arms around Yang.
Through the blending of ch’i they arrive at the state of harmony.”
Over the years when I have been in deep contemplation, stillness, and meditation, I have listened to what Lao Tzu was saying and truly trying to teach and tell us, guiding us toward this state of harmony.
In my view, the Tao is unknown because it is essentially the precursor to what we call God, Heaven, or any other name we choose. The love of nature and all things—the ten thousand things—must have a starting point as we gain the wisdom of what we call reverence; a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe or veneration. By any name, it remains the Tao. People may read and disagree, and that’s fine. I choose to follow my mentors and the unknowable Tao as my teacher. Faith by its nature is universal and has room for all… including each of us.
Up until when I was thirty, I always thought that to change things for the better was to have a life dedicated to politics. I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU), assisted numerous candidates for office, and ran for office three times, winning in 1978, later becoming a city planner/neighborhood specialist. I had to learn that to truly see beyond my ego and myself, I needed to live as if I were already beyond my own desires, reaching toward the greater self I was meant to discover.
The concept of “giving birth to One with One then giving birth to Two, and so on” inspired my idea of a “unity of spirit.” Trying to do the greatest good for the largest number of people seemed like a worthy goal, but I realized that politics, in the general sense, just wasn’t for me.
What harms or is disliked by the world should fall out of favor and not be supported, while some people gain by losing, others lose by gaining. Other people teach, while I teach as well. Knowing that tyrants never choose their death as I remain steadfast as the teacher.
Looking to another commentary on chapter/verse 42 I find Te-Ch’ing, a great Buddhist writer who wrote excellent commentaries from Chuang and Lao Tzu who says,
“The orphaned, the widowed, and the destitute are titles of self-effacement (the practice of keeping oneself in the background and minimizing one’s own actions; modest, retiring behavior).
Rulers who are not self-effacing are not looked up to by the world. Thus, by losing, some people gain. Rulers who are only aware of themselves, might possess the world, but the world rebels against them. Thus, by gaining, some people lose.
We all share the Tao, but we don’t know it except through instruction. What others teach, Lao Tzu also teaches. But Lao Tzu excels others in teaching us to reduce our desires and to be humble, to practice the virtue of harmony, and to let others be our teacher.”
Before we go on with Verse number 42 of 81, it’s worth noting that the title of the book we’re adding commentary to—Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching—is my own version, titled “Thoughts on Becoming a Sage: The Guidebook to Leading a Virtuous Life”. It’s important to note that Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching in the sixth century BC, while I wrote mine in May and June of 2000 and published it in China in 2006.
Verse 42 – Emulating the Tao as you give birth to all around you
The Tao gives birth to one. One gives birth to two. Two gives birth to three and three give birth to ten thousand things. When I as one embrace the Tao and open my heart and mind to the universe, I become complete as my focus remains on the horizon.
When I show another person the way, we walk in unison guided by what we have been taught. When we two brighten the path of the third all things become possible and in unison we give birth to a thousand things. As we too become the world’s teachers.
With yin at our backs and yang in our embrace we look for harmony. What the world hates we love. Just by what some gain in losing others will lose by gaining keeping the world forever in balance.
Remaining fully enmeshed in the Tao, the sage simply follows his mentor, Lao Tzu, the ultimate teacher of the Way. As such, we are reminded to reduce our desires, remain humble and practice the virtue of harmony.
Letting these three be our guide we quietly give birth to all around us.
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仿效道，赋予生命
道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。当我拥抱着道，向宇宙打开我的心灵时，我把注意力集中
在地平线上，终于成为一个完整的人。
当我给一人引路，我们以道为准则，和谐地前行。当我们两人为第三人照亮道路，万物随之而行。在和谐中，我们催生万物，从而成为世界级大师。
负阴抱阳，我们寻找和谐，爱人间之所恨。有得必有失，有失必有得，这样才能保持自然界的平衡。沉浸在道中，圣人跟随大师老子，道的祖师。我们必须告诫自己，减少欲求，恪守谦恭，修炼和谐大德。
我们以此三点作指导，静静地哺育芸芸众生。
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